Friday, November 6, 2015

Jesus is a mysterious fellow. God is able to do things that I just don't understand. How can I be in such a hard situation, but still find such joy in the Lord? How does He do that? He's unfathomably good, but He's not JUST that. He can affect my emotions and thoughts. He can direct the inner-workings of my life. He is not like a person. He doesn't just become present WITH me. He becomes present IN me, and then He directs me. Of course, He doesn't force me to do anything, but when I ask for His direction He is right there... inside me... directing my joy.

I'm not sure this is making any sense, but I am finding it to be quite a revelation.
I'm writing a song about suffering and persecution and God's response to us as we approach Him in our suffering. I'm so grateful for the words God has given me.

You may be struck down,
You may be persecuted,
You may be hard pressed,
You might be hunted down.
But you are defended by my sword and held safe beneath my wings.

Come in deeper.
Crawl in further.
I'll hold you closer.
I'll hold you tighter.
I'm giving you more of me than you'd ever dreamed was there.

Your feet are tired and weary.
Your heart is spent of love.
Your knees are shaking.
Your soul is breaking.
Come eat and drink, I know you have no money.
I paid for it all!

Even in all my weakness and hurt, God is present. In fact, in my weakness and suffering I am able to lean in further because of my higher level of awareness in my own lack of ability and capacity to do anything about it. So, because of my suffering I get to experience a different and deeper level of God than I may have otherwise.
This is backwards logic to me. I love it. Thank you, Jesus.

A Day In The Life

There is no Webster definition of my life. That doesn't mean, though, that i have to define it for myself. Most people do define their own life. They work hard to make money, build a good reputation, become powerful, and be known as "good people." I don't have that burden on my shoulders because my heavenly Father defines my life. My identity is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. I don't need to worry about making a lot of money, or having a good reputation, or being popular, or powerful. I don't need to work my butt off to get in good with the crowd. I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and my identity is found right there. It's not that I'm never worried, scared, or angry. I am human afterall. My life isn't carefree. I just know that everything is in the Lord's hands. Now that I've given it to Him, He does what he pleases with it. He defines my life. He IS my life.